The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which was held in New York City on November 8 and aired December 2, is the only fashion-oriented event of its kind, and this year did not disappoint. As a yearly watcher of the show, I think this year’s wow factor was more the models themselves than anything else. The Angels—who, if you were unaware, are like the spokespeople for VS—all looked gorgeous in their respective lingerie and wings. The other models, many of which were familiar faces like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, looked beautiful with their classic curly VS hair and glowy makeup.
We said goodbye to veteran Angel Adriana Lima, who walked her 18th and final Victoria’s Secret runway this year. She started walking in 1999 when she was just 18 years old (which means she’s been a VS model for as long as I’ve been alive…). VS honored her with a montage of her past runway walks, many of which ended with her blowing a kiss at the camera. Just before she stepped on the runway, a message stating “To the greatest Angel of all time” and “Thank you Adriana” was shown on the screen, and she received a standing ovation as she made her walk, solo, down the runway. At the end of the catwalk, where she would usually give us a wink, she stood, teary-eyed, with her hands on her heart, seemingly thanking VS and her fans for the past 18 years.
Winnie Harlow, a contestant on America’s Next Top Model cycle 21, known for her skin condition vitiligo, which causes a loss of pigment in the skin in random splotches, also debuted this year as a VS model. For many young models, the VS fashion show is as good as it gets. Based on the b-roll, we could tell that Winnie felt the same way.
As Bella Hadid strutted down the runway in a sporty back outfit, the camera panned away to reveal her boyfriend, The Weeknd, looking in awe. At the 2017 VS fashion show—which took place while the couple was temporarily broken up—The Weeknd was a featured performer. As Bella walked past him on the runway she gave him some serious side-eye, totally mastering the sassy post-breakup encounter everyone wants, but no one seems to get quite right (except for Bella Hadid, of course).
Elsa Hosk, my personal favorite VS Angel (did you know she used to play professional basketball in Sweden?) was chosen this year to wear the fantasy bra. Each year, one of the Angels is given the honor of wearing the million-dollar bra, which is covered in Swarovski crystals. Elsa’s fantasy bra this year was, in my opinion, the best of the whole show.
Adriana closed the show, taking a few extra moments on stage to enjoy her last walk as an Angel. All in all, I was entertained throughout the entirety of the show and there were some amazing looks on the runway this year. The models looked beautiful, as usual, there were lots of celeb sightings with some good live music performances. What else could you ask for?